I Lost Her

This is such fucking bullshit. Who the fuck even invented winter? Nobody even fucking likes it. It's miserable and cold and people drive like they have all the time in the world. It pisses me off.

But you know what's worse than driving in the snow? Walking in it. Everyone tiptoes at an unbelievably slow pace, and I just happen to always get stuck behind them--like right now.

There's already a good ten inches of snow on the ground and people can't man up and shovel the damn sidewalk in front of their house. So that causes the idiot in front of me to dramatically trudge through the white powder and make it into a bigger deal than it already is. Just move the hell out of my way and let me get to the store before my fingers go completely numb.

Two minutes went by, and the guy hadn't even moved five yards. I couldn't take it.

"Jesus Christ," I groaned before stepping off the sidewalk and onto the street. I made it down the last block and around the corner and into the store before you could say fuck you. If I would have stayed behind that asshole, I would've had two birthdays already.

I brushed some of the snow off my shoulders and pulled my hood off as I walked through the doors. People's shoes were squeaking on the linoleum and some little boy was beating up a plastic Santa Clause with a can of soup. Right on, bitch.

If there was one thing I hated more than winter and the snow and the cold, it was the fucking holidays. Everyone had Christmas parties and family came to visit and everyone acted all 'merry' and shit. It was completely fake. Santa isn't even real, you dumbasses. It's fucking November fourteenth, and there's already wreaths and ornaments all over the place. Thanksgiving--the holiday I hated the most--hasn't even happened yet.

Alright, just get what you came here to buy and get out of this place, Landon. What was it that he wanted again?

Oh, right, fucking cereal.

I found the cereal aisle and just stood there in front of hundreds of cereal boxes. I didn't remember what kind he wanted so I just grabbed a box of Special K and that was the end of it.

I stood in line behind the thousand of early Christmas shoppers and tried to wait patiently. I was nearly ready to steal the damn box when some lady's coupon wouldn't ring up. Seriously, it's fucking fifty cents, just pay it.

I surprisingly managed to escape the store without cussing anyone out. I turned back the way I came and stopped as soon as I rounded the corner.

There was this girl standing behind a telephone pole, stapler in one hand, papers in the other. She wore a pair of jeans and an oversized, grey and red reindeer sweater. Her auburn hair was a complete wreck underneath a a dark blue hat, but somehow it framed her face perfectly. The frail girl wiped at her nosed and sniffed, appearing to have a cold.

I didn't even know why I was fucking looking at her like this. She wasn't the type of girl I went for. My type was the complete opposite of her--dark hair, tan skin, big chest and lips and the girls who knew they were sexy.

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of her image. I looked away from her and kept my eyes right in front of me as I walked closer and closer to her. I was only a few feet away when a car drove past and kicked slush up onto her. She let out a yelp but ended up laughing.

"What the fuck are you laughing for?" I blurted out.

She immediately stopped and looked at me with a smile on her lips. "You shouldn't swear, you know."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck."

She shook her head at me before turning back to what she was doing. What the hell was she even doing, though?

"My dog ran away. His name was Zeus. Have you seen him?" she said, handing me one of the papers in her hand after stapling one to the pole.

I took a look at the picture. "Nope."

"Oh, alright. If you see him, will you call the number on the paper?" the girl, whoever she was, said to me as she started down the way I just came.

"Um..," I drifted, unsure of what I wanted to say

"No?" she said, tilting her head to the side. "Have a good day, then."

I don't know what the fuck possessed me to say it, but I did. "Wait! I want to help you find him," I called out to her, hoping she would stop.

She did.

"Here," she told me as she handed me the stack of papers. "You can hold these, and I'll staple them."

"Okay."

"You got a name, stranger?" she asked.

"No, why the hell would I have one of those?"

"I'm Riley," the girl smiled, reaching out a hand for me to shake.

I just looked at it. "Uh, I'm Landon."

"So what brings you to Benton Harbor?" Riley asked me, sniffing a little. "You don't exactly look like you're from around here."

"That's what this shitty little town's called?"

"Yes, and it's not crappy. It's wonderful here."

"Yeah, whatever. Thank God I'm only here for ten more days," I told her.

"Ten days, that's it?" she said with a frown.

"Yeah. My dad shipped me off to my grandparents house because I'm too much trouble. Just wait until I get back, then he'll really know what trouble is." Why was I telling her this? I didn't know her.

"Where are you going back to when your time here is up?" she wondered before dropping the stapler, bending over and letting out the most horrendous coughs I had ever heard.

I just stood there, unsure of what I should do or say.

She finally calmed down stood back up. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Are, uh, are you alright?" Please, someone tell me why the fuck I care enough to ask if she's fine.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," she said. "So where are you from again?"

"South Carolina."

"Oh, I heard it's really pretty and warm there. I can imagine why you don't like it here in Michigan."

"Yeah, Michigan blows," I told her.

We didn't really say much for the next few minutes, I just simply watched the way she gracefully moved from tree to tree. I didn't have the slightest idea as to why I was so amazed by her, I just was.

We moved to the other side of the street and as soon as we stepped onto the sidewalk, she turned to face me. "I have an idea."

"Let's here it then."

"I want to change your mind about this place."

"Yeah? How the hell are you going to do that?" I asked. "Because I'm pretty sure I'll always hate this place."

"You said you leave in ten days, right? So I was thinking that I could take you around and show you something different every day, for ten days. And then you'd leave on the eleventh day, hopefully thinking better of Benton Harbor. If you choose to forget about it here, that's fine, but at least I'll know I tried," Riley smiled.

"Good fucking luck."

She didn't falter. "Please, it's only ten days. You could be experiencing this town instead of walking to the grocery store to buy a box of Special K everyday."

"Fine," I agreed for a reason unknown to me.